Colorado State University

Joe von Fischer is a professor in the Department of Biology who studies the human and natural forces that give the atmosphere its greenhouse gas composition.  One major lobe of that work asks how much methane is being emitted by cities, and what can be done to reduce those emissions.  This work bridges across companies that manage greenhouse gases (e.g., natural gas distribution and leak detection companies), environmental groups (e.g., Environmental Defense Fund), and policy groups (e.g., EPA, DOT/PHMSA, California and Colorado agencies).  He is a proponent of transdisciplinary research that brings together expertise in social, technological and environmental systems to address issues in sustainability, like climate change.  In addressing these issues of sustainability, Joe also seeks to restore social justice.

In addition, Joe studies the soil microbial processes that metabolize carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane, seeking new insights into the greenhouse gas emissions by ecosystems ranging from tropical forests in Panama to the Arctic tundra in Alaska.

Prospective graduate students, post docs, technicians, or other research partners are invited to be in touch, especially those interested in managing greenhouse gas emissions through a transdisciplinary approach.  Disciplinary expertise can include technological (measurement, management, and engineering of greenhouse gas emitting systems), social (cultural, behavioral, economic, justice), environmental (ecosystem ecology, urban ecology, micrometerology), or data science (statistics, geospatial analyses, programming in Python).